Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 Review

Sony has been a player in the camcorder market for a long, long time and it was only natural that they’d move into the pocket camcorder market, especially after the waves that Flip created. The Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 is the product they’ve developed in direction competition to the Flip and Kodak range of pocket camcorders.

Now first thing you’ll notice about the Bloggie is that it’s bigger than your standard pocket camcorder and is more suited to sitting in a jacket pocket rather than a trouser pocket. It’s still compact but just not quite as compact as other similar products. The styling of this camera is also a little different in that it uses the standard pistol-grip handle you’d seen on a normal camcorder instead of the candy bar design that most other pocket video cameras use.

How is the Video Quality on the Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5?

So what kind of video quality is the Sonny Bloggie CM5 capable of? All you 1080p HD fans are going to be happy because this camera records 1080p footage at 30 frames per second (fps). If you want to ramp that up to 60 frames per second (fps) then you’ll need to drop it down to 720p mode to do that. This camera does feature image stabilization, but this feature only works in 720p mode so that’s something to be aware of. Still shot fans are well catered for with the 5-mega pixel still feature of this camera.

Does it have an Optical Zoom?

One really neat feature on this Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 is the 5x optical zoom. Digital zoom is fine for most people, but if you’re a little bit discerning about the quality of your video footage then you’ll appreciate how much of an improvement optical zoom is on a pocket camcorder. And the image quality for close up shots is going to be a pleasant surprise for you too! Audio recording is taken care of by a mono mic which actually sounds good unlike several other cameras I’ve tested.

Is the Sony MHS-CM5 Bloggie Easy to Use?

The Sony MHS-CM5 is very easy-to-use with a simple single button system for recording video or taking a still image. And your still images are going to look good based on this cameras 5 mega-pixel still shot function.

Can Your Preview Your Video?

Watching your video previews and playback is going to be a pleasure on the large 2.5 inch flip-out LCD color screen. Alternatively you can hookup the camera to your TV via the HDMI out port but you’ll need to buy a separate HDMI mini cable because the camera doesn’t come with one.  However you can use the included A/V cable to hook it up to your TV the old fashioned way.

Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 Battery Life

There’s a removable lithium ion battery so you can carry extra batteries for extended recording time which you might need because the standard battery charge only lasts an hour. The battery itself recharges via the pop out USB port (a nod to Flip here from Sony Corp).

Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 Review

Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 Tech Specs

* 1920×1080 30fps and 720 60p HD recording
* 5 Mega-Pixel Still images
* 5X Optical Zoom
* 2.5" LCD3 (230k pixels) with full-screen playback
* Video Format : MPEG4 AVC/H.264 (MP4)
* Recording and Playback Times : 8GB SD Card =  1080/30p = 80 min, 720/60p = 160 min, 720/30p = 240 min, VGA/30p = 480 min
* HDMI output (HDMI Cable NOT included)
* Multi A/V output (Cable Included)
* Built-In USB 2.0 Arm
* Face Detection
* SteadyShot Image Stabilization (720p 30fps & VGA mode only)
* SD Card & Memory Stick Pro Duo Compatible (none included)
* Mono-Mic (But still sounds good)
* Lens cap instead of hardware lens
* Battery lasts a little over an hour
* Pistol-Grip Handle
* Embedded (PMB portable) software for easy upload to web
* Mac and PC Compatible

Does it Come with any Storage Capacity?

There’s no included memory, but the Sony Bloggie CM5 does take SD cards and MemoryStick duo cards. I still can’t understand why manufacturers are so reluctant to include even a 2GB SD card as standard with pocket camcorders. Obviously its some kind of marketing tactic that only they understand.  To me that’s like selling a printer without a printer cartridge, which would make no sense.

The Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5 is the type of camera that’s going to be appeal to somebody looking for a high quality pocket size camcorder with superb video quality and the very, very tempting 5x optical zoom feature. And all of this for less than $200 too.